Signaling device.



No. 808,435. PATENTED DEC. 26, 1905.

F. F. GOGGIN.

SIGNALING DEVICE.

APPLIOATION FILED rmms, 1905.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

mweaelm/ .5 2. arm/ No. 808,435. PATENTED DEC. 26, 1905. P. P. GOGGIN.

SIGNALING DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED IEB.23. 1905.

a SHEETS-SHEET z.

aha/13a, m4

I jmvemwrr Y wrng UNITED STATES PATENT OFFIOE.

FRANK F. OOGGIN, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR TO ECONOMY OAR HEATING COMPANY, OF NEIV YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF MAINE.

SIGNALING DEVICE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 26. 1905.

Original application filed May 19, 1904, Serial No. 208,644. Divided and this application filed February 23, 1905. Serial No. 246,898.

To a, whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK F. OoeeIN, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of the city of New York, in the county of New York and State of New York, have invented new and useful Improvements in Signaling Devices, of which the following is aspecification.

My invention relates to steam-heating systems, and particularly to railway-car-heating systems of that class wherein the exhauststeam from the air-pump of the air-brake system of a train is utilized for heating purposes.

My present invention is an improvement upon the device shown and described in United States Letters Patent No. 664,076, granted to me December, 18, 1900, and constitutes a clivisional application from my application filed May 19. 1904, Serial No. 2085M, allo wed August 24:, 1904, for heating systems.

In the system of the patent above noted a three-way valve was provided in the steamexhaust pipe of the air-pump, by means of which valve the engineer from his position within the cab of the locomotive could at will divert the exhaust-steam from the main exhaust-pipe, which discharged into the stack of the locomotive, into a pipe leading to the radiators of the heating system or close the pipe leading to the heating system and open the exhaust into the stack. The usual normal pressure maintained in a car-heatingsys tem is in the neighborhood of forty pounds. and the usual normal pressure maintained in the main air-reservoir of the brake system, which is supplied with air from the cylinder of the pump, is ninety pounds. Therefore the total resistance against which the pump has to work is one hundred and thirty pounds. The boiler-pressures carried by modern locomotives vary from one hundred and eighty to two hundred pounds or more. Consequently under normal conditions the pressure of the steam supplied to the cylinder of the air-pump is more than sufficient to overcome this resistance; but owing to poor coal, poor firing, leaks, &c., the boiler-pressure in practice frequently falls below normal and as low or even below the resistance which the pump must overcome-about one hundred and thirty pounds. In such event the pump will be stopped unless the exhaust of the pump is opened to the stack and closed to the heating system by the engineer. The stopping of the pump stops the supply of air to the main airreservoir of the brake system. The result is that through use or leakage the pressure in said reservoir is liable to fall and the brake system to be rendered inoperative while the engineer remains unaware of the fact. With the system of the patent above noted it was necessary that the engineer should in the event of any considerable fall in boiler-pressure operate the three-way valve and change the exhaust of the pump from the heating system into the stack, thus relieving the pump of the resistance of the back pressure in the heating system, so that the pump would remain in action. This required the close attention of the engineer, and his neglect was an element of danger. In my present system this objectionable feature is obviated by the provision of automatic means, preferably, though not essentially, controlled by the pressure in the main air-reservoir of the brake system of the train for diverting the exhauststeam of the air-pump from the heating system into an atmosphere of lower pressure than that of the heating system (as into the usual exhaust-pipe leading to the stack) when the main air-reservoir pressure falls below a predetermined point. This prevents the brakes from being rendered inoperative through any ordinary fall of boiler-pressure while the heating system is in service. I have also provided a signal for notifying the engineer when his air-pressure is dangerously low. In the following description these and other features of my invention are fully set forth.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is an elevation more or less diagrammatic of a system embodying my invention. Fig. 2 shows in elevation and partly in section the three-w ay valve and operating-motortherefor. Fig. 3 is a central longitudinal sectional view of the control-valve hereinafter described. Fig. 4: is a detail hereinafter described.

Having reference to the drawings, A represents the usual main air-reservoir of a brake system for a train of cars. B represents the usual air-pump, and Z) and b the air and steam cylinders, respectively, of said pump, the exhaust of air-cylinder 6 being connected by a pipe 6 with reservoir A. The inlet of the steam-cylinder Z) is connected bya pipe I) with the boiler of the locomotive, as usual, and the outlet of said cylinder is connected,

as usual, by pipe 6* with the stack of the 10- comotive. (Not shown.) In pipe 6* is a threeway valve 6', one of whose ports is connected by a supply-pipe b with an evaporating-tank C, from which a pipe Z2 leads to the radiators of the heating system of the train. The stem of the three-way valve 6 is provided with an arm 72 pivotally connected with one end of a rod 5, having at its opposite end a handle 6 Ordinarily the pump B is mounted upon the side of the locomotive-boiler, the tank 0 is fastened beneath the locomotive-cab, reser voir A is carried by the tender of the locomotive, and the handle 6 is located within the cab of the locomotive.

As shown in Fig. 2, the casing of valve If has cast integral therewith an arm 0, the outer end of which carries a cylinder 0, containing a piston 0 The stem 0 of piston c is connected by a link or pair of links 0* with arm Z) below rod 6 The other end of cylinder 0 is connected by a pipe (Z with main reservoir A, and in said pipe (Z is a control-valve D, which is automatically operated by variations in the air-pressure of that part of the pipe (Z between valve D and reservoir A. Below control-valve D and in pipe (Z is a normally open hand-operated valve d, and between valve (Z' and cylinder 0 is a whistle (Z connected with pipe (Z by a branch pipe (Z Whistle (Z is preferably located in the cab of the locomotive. In the pipe (Z, between control-valve D and main air-reservoir A, is a supplemental air-reservoir A.

The control-valve D comprises a diaphragm d, moved in one direction by a spring Z acting against the top of said diaphragm, and in the opposite direction by the air-pressure in the diaphragm-chamber (Z acting upon the under side of said diaphragm. The diaphragm cl has connected to it one end of a stem (Z carrying at its lower end the valve proper, (Z whose seat is indicated at d". So long as the air-pressure below diaphragm Cl is above the predetermined point for which spring 6 6 is adapted valve (Z is held closed; but when the pressure under diaphragm cl falls below that predetermined point spring (Z opens valve (Z and air under pressure flows past valve ("Z8 to whistle (Z and cylinder 0'. hen arm 6 is in the position shown in Fig. 1, the exhaust from steam-cylinder of air-pump B communicates through pipe 6* with the stack of the locomotive, pipe 6 being closed and the pump B thereby relieved of the resistance of the pressure in the heating system. hen arm 6 is in the position shown in Fig. 2, pipe 6*, leading to the stack,is closed and supply-pipe 6* opened. Therefore pump B is working against both the pressure in main air-reservoir A and the pressure in the heating system. By means of rod 6 the engineer can at will shift arm 6 into either of these two positions, the piston 0 moving idly within cylinder 0. Arm 5 is left in the position shown in Fig. 2, when the heating system is in service, with pump B working against both the pressure in A and the pressure in the heating system. If under these conditions the pressure in the boiler through any cause falls so as merely to balance the combined pressures in the main airreservoir and the heating system, then pump B will stop, and no air will be supplied thereby to reservoir A, thus endangering the operation of the air-brakes. With my improved system, however, when arm is in the position shown in Fig. 2 and a fall in boiler-pressure occurs that is sufficient to stop the airpump B, as just described, and the pressure in A falls from any cause below the predetermined point for which spring (Z is adjusted, then valve (Z will be automatically opened by said spring. This automatic opening of the valve (Z not only operates whistle (Z and thereby notifies the engineer that the air-pressure is dangerously low, but it also admits air to the cylinder 0 and moves piston 0 in a direction to shift arm 5 from the position shown in Fig. 2 to the position shown in Fig. 1. This relieves the pump of the resistance offered thereto by the back pressure in the heating system by causing valve 6' to close the exhaust to the pipe 6 and open the exhaust to pipe 5, vhereupon pump B will start in action again and restore the normal air-pressure in A. As soon as normal pressure is restored in reservoir A diaphragm 6Z is lifted and valve (Z closed, so that arm 0 can be returned by the engineer to the position shown in Fig. 2 to put the heating system back into service again, if desired.

It will now be clear that when the heating system is in service a fall of pressure in the boiler of thelocomotive resultsin the stopping of pump B. The stopping of pump B results in a fall of pressure in reservoir A, the fall of pressure in A results in the opening of control D, and the opening of D causes piston c to operate so as to close supply-pipe b and connect the exhaust of pump B with pipe 6*, which allows pump B to start and restore the pressure in A, whereupon controlvalve D is closed.

W'hether used with or without cylinder 0 and piston c the signaling device d is a valuable feature of my invention, because by it the engineer is notified of the condition of the air-pressure in the main air-reservoir. It is to be understood, however, that any other suitable form of signaling device may be substituted for the whistle herein shown. This signal (Z as will be clear, is always in operative condition, whereas the motor made up of cylinder 0 and piston c is only in operative condition when the heating system is in service. Thus at all times the engineer is notified of a dangerous fall of pressure in the main air-reservoir.

The purpose of the valve 62 is to provide means by which the engineer can close pipe (1 in case any leak, defective pipe, or trouble of this nature should occur, as well as to provide means by which temporarily to close pipe (Z in case it is necessary to utilize the exhauststeam of pump B to pump up long trains that is, when a train is first made up the auxiliary reservoirs on the cars contain no air and on coupling up the brakes they are supplied with air under pressure from the main air-reservoir Awhose pressure is drawn down below the point for which valve D is adjusted. In order, therefore, that the exhaust of pump B may be maintained in communication with the heating system of the train while the pressure is low in reservoir A, valve d wouldbe closed, but opened again as soon as the pressure in reservoir A was restored.

On long passenger-trains after an application of the bralges is made when the release of the brakes takes place, the auxiliary reservoirs (not shown) of the brake system located on the locomotive and various cars attached to the same are recharged directly from the main air-reservoir on the locomotive. In some cases where the volume of air contained in the main air-reservoir of the locomotive is small it might occur that this main air-reservoir pressure would momentarily fall below the point for which valve D is adjusted; but this main air-reservoir pressure would be al-' most immediately raised again to normal by l the air-pump B. Under such circumstances it is not desirable that motor 0 c or whistle (Z should operate, and to avoid the same the supplemental air-reservoir A, in communication with main air-reservoir A through a restricted passage (0, is provided. This supplemental reservoir A is of such capacity and passage a is of such size that should the main air-reservoir pressure be momentarily drawn down, as just descibed, so much time will be required for the pressure in A to fall correspondin gl y that before said pressure falls sufficiently to operate valve D the pressure in A will have been restored to normal. When, however, pump B is stopped through a fall of pressure in the locomotive-boiler, the pressure in main air-reservoir A will gradually fall and the restricted passage (1/ will allow the pressure in A to fall equally fast until valve D operates. In the case of locomotives equipped with main air-reservoirs of large volnone the small auxiliary air-reservoir A will probably not be needed.

What I claim is- In a heating system of the class described the combination with the air-pum p; the main air-reservoir supplied by said pump; the supply-pump of the heating system, and the valve controlling the exhaust from the air-pump, of a signaling device, and automatic means for operating the signaling device and valve when the pressure in the main air-reservoir falls below a predetermined point, said valve being operated so as to close the supply-pipe of the heating system and open the exhaust of the air-pump to an atmosphere of lower pressure than that within the supply-pipe.

Signed by me at Washington city, District of Columbia, this 18th day of February, 1905.

FRANK F. GOGGIN.

Witnesses:

F. B. KEEPER, Gno'. W. REA. 

